Do you know Japan's longest monorail?
Osaka Monorail.
From the window of the train, you can enjoy the wonderful view that Osaka boasts.
NHK's representative iron geek, announcer Yuichi Chikada, fully commented on the highlights.
In fact, did you know that all stations have the same items?
The best monorail in Japan
Osaka Monorail opened in 1990.
It consists of the main line connecting Kadoma City and Osaka Airport, the Expo Memorial Park and the Saito Line.
There are 18 stations.
With a total operating distance of 28 kilometers, it was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's longest monorail until China overtook it in 2013.
It is still the longest monorail in Japan.
This time, with the full cooperation of Osaka Monorail, a small camera is installed in the driver's seat.
We shot 37 minutes from Osaka Airport Station to Kadoma-shi Station.
Top number!
It is announcer Yuichi Chikada who gets on.
NHK Osaka Broadcasting Station is an iron geek.
"What series? What series
?
"
This is the oldest type out of the 3 types of Osaka Monorail.
The plate number inside the car is...
"Look at this. This is 1101. It's like member number 01. As a railway fan, being able to ride the top number is quite exciting."
I can't hide my excitement.
By the way, in the case of the Osaka Monorail 1000 series, there seems to be a pre-production prototype other than the top number.
What you can see from the monorail
Although it depends on the type of Osaka Monorail, there are "cross seats" where you can sit facing the direction of travel, and you can enjoy the front view from the front row special seats.
After a while, I saw the Tower of the Sun.
It looks very close from the monorail.
In addition, the monorail looks like it runs straight, but it actually has some twists and turns and there are elevation differences.
The real thrill is how the scenery changes.
In addition, there is a point that I would like you to see between Settsu Station and Minami-Settsu Station.
freight terminal.
And next to it...
"Look, lots of bullet trains. They pass over the Shinkansen depots. Wow, spectacular."
JR Tokai's Torikai vehicle depot.
What do you do when you turn around?
For this interview, at the final stop, Kadoma-shi Station, I was allowed to cover the siding line.
The trajectory is switched and the direction is changed.
The direction of travel changes to a vehicle that turns around.
The Osaka Monorail currently terminates at Kadoma-shi Station, but plans to extend the 8.9-kilometer section to Higashi-Osaka City in 2029.
Six of the 62 drivers are women.
In one-man operation, the driver does everything, such as opening and closing the door and making announcements.
"Monorail Bunko" at all stations
After exiting the ticket gate, I saw a paperback book on the station concourse
.
Named "Monorail Bunko", it was started in 1992, two years after its opening, and is now placed in all stations.
The assortment is various.
In fact, all the books were donated.
There is no procedure for lending or returning books, and we have adopted a reuse system that allows you to borrow as many books as you like.
We interviewed Mr. Taira, who was driving the monorail we interviewed.
Osaka Monorail Konomi Taira
``At the time of opening, there weren't many trains and trains, so the waiting time was very long
. The first reason was to create a place to put books and paperbacks.”
At the time of opening, the interval between trains was about 15 minutes, and I wanted to enjoy that time as much as possible.
Donated books are accepted at the ticket gate, stamped, and placed on the shelf.
What kind of books are brought in and lined up depends on the time.
Ms. Konomi Hira from Osaka Monorail `
`
For example, if you find a book you like, take it home. The “Monorail Bunko”
was built on the kindness of the people, who
were free to choose which station to return the books to .
How about taking a monorail trip with a paperback book on your next vacation?